1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper collating apparatus for stacking a plurality of types (contents) of paper in a predetermined order and for discharging them as a collated matter.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a collating apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the neighborhood of a stacker section of the collating apparatus.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, the collating apparatus is provided with a paper feed section 71 having a plurality of paper feed trays 70a to 70j arranged vertically and conveying many sheets 72 stacked on the respective paper feed trays 70a to 70j one by one at predetermined timing, a collating and conveying section (not shown) collating the plural sheets 72 conveyed from the respective paper feed trays 70a to 70j of the paper feed section 71 to provide collated matters 73 (shown in FIG. 3B) and conveying the collated matters 73 to a discharge section 74, the discharge section 74 discharging the collated matters 73 conveyed from the collating and conveying section (not shown) to a stacker section 75, and the stacker section 75 stacking the collated matters 73 discharged from the discharge section 74.
The stacker section 75 has a paper discharge tray 76 provided at the falling position of the collated matters 73 discharged from the discharge section 74, and a pair of side fences 77 and 78 positioned on both outer sides of the collated matters 73 discharged onto the paper discharge tray 76 and restricting an orthogonal direction to the discharge direction of the collated matters 73. The widths of paired side fences 77 and 78 are variable according to the widths of the sheets 72 to be collated.
Also, the stacker section 75 is provided with sorting means 79. This sorting means 79 consists of a fixed base tray 76a, a movable paper discharge tray 76b horizontally movable on the fixed base tray 76a, and a driving mechanism (not shown) applying a driving force to horizontally move the movable paper discharge tray 76b. 
With the above configuration, many sheets 72 sorted according to paper types are stacked on, for example, the uppermost paper feed table 70a to the lowermost paper feed table 70j, respectively. One unit of a collated matter 73 obtained by stacking sheets in the vertical order of these paper feed trays 70a to 70j will be described.
When a start mode is selected, respective sheets 72 from the uppermost paper feed tray 70a to the lowermost paper feed tray 70j are sequentially conveyed with predetermined timing delays. The conveyed sheets 72 are collated by the collating and conveying section (not shown) to thereby provide collated matters 73. The resultant collated matters 73 are discharged to the stacker section 75 through the discharge section 74. By executing the series of operations continuously, many collated matters of paper sheets 72 are stacked on the stacker section 75.
In a normal mode, the movable paper discharge tray 76b is not moved and, as shown in FIG. 3A, the units of collated matters 73 are stacked without being horizontally offset with respect to one another. In a sort mode, on the other hand, the movable paper discharge tray 76b is moved horizontally in synchronization with the discharge timing of the sheets from the discharge section 74 and, as shown in FIG. 3(B), collated matters 73 are horizontally offset and stacked according to units.
In the meantime, in the collation operation process stated above, there are cases where collation errors that the sheets 72 are not conveyed from one or more of the paper feed trays 70a to 70j (which state will be referred to as xe2x80x9cempty feedxe2x80x9d hereinafter) or where a plurality of sheets 72 are simultaneously conveyed from one or more of the paper feed trays 70a to 70j (which state will be referred to as xe2x80x9cstack paper feedxe2x80x9d hereinafter), may occur. Conventionally, if such a collation error is detected, the collation operation is automatically stopped at the detection point. This is designed to allow an operator to instantly recognize the fact of a collation error and recognize that an erroneously collated matter is sorted.
Nevertheless, according to the conventional collating apparatus, if a collation error occurs, the operator is required to remove an erroneously collated matter from the paper discharge tray 76 and to restart a collation operation. This follows that the operator is obliged to always monitor the collating apparatus and to be responsible for the removal of such an erroneously collated matter, if any, and for a restart processing of restarting the collating operation whenever a collation error occurs. This is disadvantageously inconvenient for the operator and working efficiency becomes disadvantageously lower.
The present invention has been made to overcome the above-stated disadvantages. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a collating apparatus which does not require an operator to monitor a collation error and to conduct an error processing whenever a collation error occurs.
A collating apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a paper feed section, having a plurality of paper feed trays, for conveying a plurality of sheets stacked on the plurality of paper feed trays one by one at predetermined timing; a collating and conveying section for collating the plurality of sheets conveyed from the respective paper feed trays of the paper feed section to provide collated matters, and for conveying the collated matters to a discharge section; the discharge section for discharging the collated matters conveyed from the collating and conveying section to a stacker section; and the stacker section having a paper discharge tray for stacking the collated matters discharged from the discharge section, and is characterized by comprising erroneously collated matter selection and discharge means for discharging an erroneously collated matter so as to be distinguishable from other correctly collated matters when a collation error is detected during a collation operation.
According to this collating apparatus, if a collation error is detected, the erroneously collated matter selection and discharge means discharges the erroneously collated matter so as to be distinguishable from the correctly collated matters. Besides, the collation error can be recognized and the erroneously collated matter can be removed after the collation operation is completed for all collated matters. It is, therefore, possible to continue the collation operation without stopping the collation operation when a collation error occurs.
Here, it is possible to constitute the collating apparatus so that the collation operation is continued even after the erroneously collated matter selection and discharge means completes discharging the erroneously collated matter.
By doing so, the fact of the collation error can be recognized and the erroneously collated matter can be removed after the collation operation is completed for all of the collated matters without the need for an operator to conduct a restart processing of the collation operation when a collation error occurs.
Further, the erroneously collated matter selection and discharge means may be a pair of paper discharge wings each displaced between a wait position at which each of the paper discharge wings does not interfere with the collated matters discharged from the discharge section and an interference position at which each of the paper discharge wings interferes with the collated matters discharged from the discharge section and offsets a collated matter discharge direction almost in an orthogonal direction to the discharge direction, the paper discharge wings having opposite offsetting directions to each other, and the pair of paper discharge wings may stack the erroneously collated. matter while offsetting the erroneously collated matter with respect to the other correctly collated matters.
With this constitution, if there is a collation error, the paper discharge wings can stack the erroneously collated matter while offsetting the erroneously collated matter with respect to the other correctly collated matters.
Moreover, the erroneously collated matter selection and discharge means may be a conveying passage changing guide plate capable of selectively changing a conveying route of the collated matters conveyed from the collating and conveying section between a side of the stacker section and another route different from the stacker section side, and the conveying passage changing guide plate may allow the erroneously collated matter to take a conveying route different from a conveying route of the other corrected collated matters.
With this constitution, if there is a collation error, the conveying passage changing guide plate allows the erroneously collated matter to take a different conveying route from the conveying route of the correctly collated matters and to be discharged to a position different from the positions at which the correctly collated matters are discharged.
Furthermore, if a sort mode is selected as a paper discharge mode, a sorting operation may be carried out by alternately moving the pair of paper discharge wings from the wait position to the interference position in accordance with timing at which the collated matters are discharged from the discharge section; if a normal mode is selected as the paper discharge mode, a normal stacking operation may be carried out by locating each of the pair of paper discharge wings at the wait position; and if a collation error is detected in a normal mode, one of the pair of paper discharge wings may be moved from the wait position to the interference position with respect to the erroneously collated matter discharged from the discharge section.
Thus, the correctly collated matters are stacked in a normal state, whereas only the erroneously collated matter among the stacked matters is offset.
Additionally, if a sort mode is selected as a paper discharge mode, a sorting operation may be carried out by alternately moving the pair of paper discharge wings from the wait position to the interference position in accordance with timing at which the collated matters are discharged from the discharge section; if a normal mode is selected as the paper discharge mode, a normal stacking operation may be carried out by locating each of the pair of paper discharge wings at the wait position; and if the collation error is detected in the sort mode, the erroneously collated matter conveyed from the collating and conveying section may be forced to take a conveying route different from a conveying route of the other correctly collated matters.
Thus, the correctly collated matters are conveyed to the stacker section side, whereas the erroneously collated matter is conveyed to the different route side.
Other and further objects and features of the present invention will become obvious upon understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described in connection with the accompanying drawings or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employing of the invention in practice.